The City of Cranbrook will move to Stage 3 watering restrictions on Saturday, Oct. 4, limiting residents to outdoor watering one day a week until further notice.
In a notice to residents, the city said even-numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and odd-numbered addresses on Tuesdays, only between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., but not both.
Manual sprinklers will no longer be permitted. The city said lawns, trees, shrubs and flower gardens can only be watered with a hose fitted with a shutoff nozzle or by an in-ground irrigation system. Vegetable gardens and edible plants may still be watered under the same conditions.
“Based on the data we’re collecting, we’re seeing about 1,000 imperial gallons of water per minute being used for watering lawns this late in the year. We are effectively draining our drinking water reservoir to irrigate dormant grass and shrubs,” said Jason Perrault, the city’s deputy director of public works.
“Our crews are actively blowing out all of the city’s irrigation systems. It is a great time for residents who have in-ground irrigation systems to also do the same.”
The city said all other outdoor water use is banned, including:
washing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, building surfaces or windows
washing personal vehicles
filling pools, hot tubs, ponds or fountains
watering new sod or seed (no exemption permits will be issued)
Cranbrook officials said they will continue to monitor water use and update restrictions as conditions change.
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